A digital path already exist look at Meridian, I am not enamored about their stuff I think it looks really cheap but they are digital.

I wished Classé got it's act together may be the SSP-800 once it is upgraded with the new codec will be a stllar performer. Their design is fantastic

I actually had the Meridian in mind as a prototype of what I am talking about, and I like the initiative they have taken. But, Meridian does not go far enough and it's proprietary and boutiquey, so it's way, way too expensive. Digital that uses open or inexpensively licensed standards is what I had in mind. When that happens, as we have seen with PC's, the price comes tumbling down even as the performance increases. Meridian's approach is, I believe, 96/24 PCM only, so no bitstream. Plus, their speakers are active, but with analog amps. I believe we will see digital amps come to fruition, and we are going to need them to deal with future energy consumption issues vs. less efficient analog amps.